Fantasy
by Zandrel
Summary: Every two years the Olympian Ball comes around where a God and their chosen have to meet up for 5 days of activities, trials and of course dancing at the ball! But what happens when the Gods are threatened and one trys to rule over all? Ares/Xena
1. Godly Invitation

**All Xena: Warrior Princess Characters do not belong to me. This story is for entertainment purposes only.**

**Feed the bard: everyone loves a good review. Thanks to all those who have reviewed my other stories! :)**

**Enjoy! :)**

* * *

"Xena, are you even listening to me?"

"Yes," came the automatic reply the bard had heard at least a million times before.

"So, you're ok with me going to see Lila for her birthday?"

" Of course I am Gabrielle, why shouldn't I be?."

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" The petite blonde asked, silently wishing her friend would accompany her to Potidea for once.

"Yeah I'm sure, it's a family thing, you should all be together. You just go have fun," said the Warrior, putting a reassuring hand on her friends shoulder.

"You are also part of my family so…."

"Thanks….But you know what I mean" the Xena answered, feigning a smile.

Gabrielle cast a long gaze at her friend. She was well aware of the fact that Xena wasn't exactly on her family's list of favourite people, so she pretty much figured that the Warrior was in fact doing her best not to ruin anything, thus leaving her to go alone, avoiding some very useless conversations that she knew her father would most certainly open up. She was supposed to be back in about a week anyway.

"Well, I'll be off then," she finally said, hugging her tight and, still trying to hide her disappointment, Gabrielle mounted the horse Xena had 'hired' for her to make the trip.

"…..See you later Gabrielle….. Have fun. And don't get too drunk, ok?" the warrior called out to her friend.

Suddenly, a male voice cut through the air making her flinch in surprise.

"Great advice, Warrior Princess."

Spinning around she instantly narrowed her eyes at the God standing before her.

"Ares..."

"Why don't we skip the introductions…..? I think we both know who each other is," he jokingly mocked before continuing. "So… the Olympian Ball's on this week. Same 5 days, shall we go?"

He offered his arm but all he got in exchange was a glare to match Medusa's..

"What in Gaia's sacred name makes you think that I'm actually planning on going anywhere with you?"

"Oh come on Xena….. I'm not gonna bite if you don't want me to…." he retorted grinning widely.

The Warrior Princess couldn't help laughing in his face,

"Not gonna bite? Ha that's rich. After all the crap you've given me recently I highly doubt that."

"I would never really hurt you and you know it so cut the crap. Plus, you have to go because you're my Chosen!"

"I'm not going," she barked at him stubbornly.

Seeing her reaction Ares smiled proudly. It was one of the reasons he liked her so much.

"Come on, Xe, it won't be so bad…..You used to like this type of get-togethers…And it will get your mind off Gabrielle and her family," he said walking towards her, almost touching her hand. "I know how much that's bothering you..."

Xena's eyes widened then she lashed out angrily, " Just get out of here and leave me alone already, you soulless bastard!"

Ahhh, one of her favourite names to call him. Probably on top on the endless list. Still, Ares put up his hands:

"Woah! I was just trying to help..."

"No you weren't. You were trying to manipulate me into coming with you! Your favourite way of doing things…"

"Manipulate" is such a harsh term Princess….Let's say I was trying to "convince" you."

"I think I'll stick with my first option" she snarled.

"Well anyway, did it work?" he asked cockily.

By now she was glaring daggers at him. A few seconds later, he carefully took a step forward so there was hardly any space at all between them.

"I swear it on the head of Zeus, if you try anything on me while I'm with you, I'll..."

"I dare you," he replied as he transported them to the Halls of War.

She stepped out the blue light to find herself in the arms of Ares in his domain.

Instinctively, she pulled out from his embrace, slightly confused. She still couldn't believe that she was in the middle of threatening him but he just transported her here anyway.

_"You knew you were coming anyway"_ a voice said in her head._ "You were just making a drama out of it. You can't keep denying him..."_

"So, you were saying?" he said with a devilish grin and as much as Xena wanted to wipe it straight off his face, she couldn't deny the little butterflies that fluttered round in her stomach whenever he did it.

"Doesn't matter..." she grumbled, barely audibly.

Ares frowned a little, usually his Xena would have carried on.

_"Oh well_" he said to himself _"She's here with you now, isn't she?_

He then watched her saunter off to the black dining table dominating the room and pop a grape into her mouth.

Xena paid him no mind though, she was too busy gazing all over the room- nothing had changed since the last time she was there: the same two black couches parallel to the table, a fireplace, heavy velvet curtains, a huge armoire and multiple doors and hallways leading around his castle gave the impression of a sombre but classy place.

He walked over to her, made two goblets appear and poured them a drink. He handed one to Xena and frowned a bit when he noticed her glancing at it without making the slightest move to take it.

He pulled a seat out for her and gestured for her to sit down. She did.

They sat in silence until Xena spoke:

"So what is it this year? High Priestess duties, relaxation, competitions?"

The God of War glanced at his wine before answering:

"A little bit of everything…... There is something new though….Hera came up with the crazy idea of locking all Gods in the same room with their Chosen for one day….."

"What?!"

"Yeah I know, right?"

"Why?"

"Bonding….She seems to think it would strengthen our relationship with our Chosen….."

"Well, lucky we don't have a relationship then," she said, but as she uttered the words there was a stab of what... pain?

Ares flinched; she still had no idea...

"Ahem, yeah. Well….I should give you some space before the opening ceremony tonight….and uh….tonight is also the bath," he said now with not too much emotion.

Xena caught his uncomfortable hesitation but said nothing.

"The bath….right…well….I better go get ready…"

With that she promptly got up and walked towards one of the doors down the other end of the table. She opened it and waited for Ares. He hastily got and up caught up to her. She walked into his bedchamber. Massive bed, all black, the usual. They kept walking to a door on the other side, Xena's room. Nothing had changed there either.

"Dresses are in the second draw," the God's voice broke the silence.

Xena turned to look at him, confusions written all over face.

"Good to have you back Xena," he said simply, pretty much answering her question.

She looked like she wanted to speak but said nothing so the God vanished…She was nervous…


	2. Grandiose Hall

**Thanks to: My guest reviewer and Xentrya :) **

The hem of a deep purple dress lightly touched the floor as the Warrior walked over to the mirror to see her reflection. She frowned, she didn't seem to be happy with what she saw even though her beauty could surpass the one of any goddess.

Slowly heading over to the dresser, she picked up a black pearl necklace, clipped it around her neck and as soon as she finished curling her hair, she felt a familiar tingle up her spine.

"By the Gods Xena, you look beautiful!" the handsome God of War exclaimed to his one and only.

She quickly turned to look at him, then walked right past to the mirror and just stood there examining herself for a few seconds. Now she saw herself with new eyes; she did look beautiful, she was beautiful.

Ares came up behind her, a discreet smile on his lips, wrapped his muscled arms around her slim waist and nuzzled her neck, silently hoping she would just let him touch her for a change.

He was pleasantly surprised, for, even if only for a few moments, the Warrior Princess  
leaned slightly into his touch and it was perfect. The trance broke sooner than he would have wanted it to though and he suddenly felt her body tense and pull away.

"So….shall we go?" she finally said to her God.

In response, Ares took her arm and transported them in a grandiose golden hall.

"Xena! I can't believe it!" a voice called out, making the Warrior Princess turn around instantly.

"Eva!" she called out, running to embrace her old friend.

"By Olympus! I haven't seen you for ages," the girl exclaimed. "I didn't know if you would come this year. We have a lot of catching up to do..."

Ares did his best to restrain a chuckle. "Women and their gossip…." he thought staring in awe at the two.

"I think I'd better leave you two ladies to your business. Just call if you need me, Princess," he said with a twinkle in his eye. Xena nodded her response.

"So what are you doing here?" Xena inquired smiling warmly.

"Well, this year each God had to pick a priest or priestess to help with the activities and he picked me! He must have remembered that we were friends all those years back. So….. how's the 'Greater Good' business going?"

"Fine…. I've got a friend named Gabrielle that comes with me and helps." Xena replied.

They talked a bit more afterwards, just a bit of idle chatter really until Eva decided to hit a sore spot.

"So you and Ares hey?" she giggled.

Xena looked a little stunned, "What? No!…. What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on Xe. We all know how much you love him and that he's crazy about you. We have even placed bets about how long it will take you to come back to him."

The Warrior Princess' eyes widened perceptibly, then her face closed up.

"Ares doesn't love me, Eva. He's war. War can't love."

"Don't be ridiculous," the Priestess giggled. "Of course he loves you! You should hear the way he talks about you….One would think he's been in love with you for like….forever."

Again, shock registered on Xena's face.

_"He still actually talks about me? And in a good way?"_ she silently asked herself, considering the possibility.

"Ok Eva, enough of that. What about you? Do you have some good looking hunk waiting for ya'?"

"Very funny Warrior Princess. No, I can't, not up here anyway! Besides, they might get jealous of me working for the God of War himself!."

Both of the women laughed and continued to talk until Ares came back saying that as his Chosen, Xena had to mingle with other Chosen ones.

Soon, the pair came across Apollo and his Chosen Herodorus, a famous trumpet musician.

"Ahh, if it isn't the God of War with his Warrior Slut."

"What did you say?" Ares snarled, putting a hand protectively on Xena's back while raising the other one to zap the God straight in the forehead. The Warrior Princess knew how Zeus would react to that so she quickly intervened, grabbing Ares' hand, trying to calm him down.

Apollo on the other hand seemed to refuse to let go, obviously not getting the message.

"What is it Brother? Don't you like me mentioning your little warlord's evil past?"

Xena glowered at him and opened her mouth to speak:

"You listen here you pathetic excuse for a God. I could wipe the floor with you right now if I wanted too regardless if can or cannot kill you. But lucky for you, I'm in a good mood."

"Ooo, I'm so scared Warrior Whore."

The God of War growled and wrapped his fingers around Apollos neck, picked him up and then threw across the room.

"DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT MY CHOSEN LIKE THAT AGAIN!" He thundered. Then stalked off with Xena at his side.

Everybody turned around to see what had happened…..They were not at all surprised when they realized what the problem had been though, it was a common scene after all…..Each year it was the same old thing: someone insulting Xena, the War God barely holding back his anger, ready to blast the one who had dared saying anything bad about his had actually turned in some kind of tradition…The King of the Gods just shook his head disapprovingly but didn't add anything else seeing that Xena was dragging Ares into a corner of the room.

Nobody talked to them until it was time for Zeus and Hera's meeting, except for Aphrodite who came there with her Chosen to congratulate Ares for the well executed blow, making sure to mention that it was much more spectacular than the kick he gave Athena the previous year…

All the God's, Goddess' and their Chosen ones sat around a massive table in the main dining hall.

There was Athena with Socrates and Artemis with Ephiny, Hephaestus with Phidias….. Just to name a few.

They were each given a glass of red wine as the rulers began to ramble on about what was going to happen. There would be the ball, which was the main event and tonight would be the 'alone time' with their Chosens to help 'bond' which also involved the bath.

Xena listened for about five minutes then got lost in thought. Her conversation with Eva about Ares plagued her mind.

_"He's war. War can't love." "Don't be ridiculous,Of course he loves you!"_ Round and round these thoughts and other similar ones continued to whirl through her mind, rubbing salt in old wounds. Her musing only stopped when she came to the realization that she had been staring at him. She blushed, but not enough for anyone to notice.

_"He has been really nice to me, back like when I was his and he was mine. But I'm not like that anymore, I'm not a ruthless warlord and I'm never going back to the monster I used to be... He knows that, so why would he continue to pursue me?"_ Xena debated this matter until the end of the long 'discussion' which was really only a one sided conversation.

"Hey," Ares said.

"Hey" she replied with a warm smile.

"You ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."


	3. And Then the Gong Sounded

**Thanks to: my loyal guest reviewer and Xentrya! :)**

The candle flames were dancing across the walls and the water was winking at them. Slowly, and with infinite gentleness, Ares slipped the straps of Xena's dress down, softly caressing her shoulders whilst he did so.

The Warrior wriggled uncomfortably…. They hadn't been this intimate since 'the old days'. And still, the War God didn't seemed to be bothered by that insignificant little detail. He just continued to undress her, then helped her into the vast bath. He clicked off his own clothes in less than a blink and joined her, making a small table with two glasses of wine appear between them. They both picked up one , clinked them together then each took a long, silent sip.

It was a tasty wine with a hint of chocolate and berries. Xena leaned back in the hot water contentedly. There was still tension but the God could tell that she was slowly letting her guard down.

Taking a chance, he made the table and his glass disappear and slid over next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders so that his fingertips were nearly touching her breast.

At his gesture, her muscles tensed to the point that he genuinely thought they were going to snap.

"Come on Xena, just relax," he whispered against her ear as he began massaging her shoulders, his fingers expertly digging into her soft skin, getting rid of the knots all good warriors have.

Involuntarily, a low moan escaped the Warrior Princess' lips. By all Gods, she had missed his touch…..Somehow, he had always known all the right places to touch and most of all, where she hurt most…He could make it all go away in seconds of course…..

Just as she was finally starting to relax she felt his breath of her neck…..so hot, so tempting….

"I want you…" he breathed huskily, secretly sending shivers up her spine.

Suddenly, Xena broke out of her trance and spun around to face him, moving further and further away from him to the other side of the bath.

"Don't!…" she shouted at him, anger lacing through her voice and burning in her eyes.

But she wasn't necessarily mad at him, she was mad at herself for nearly giving into him.

_"You know it's gonna happen..._" her mind whispered to her. "_Stop fighting it and admit it. You want him too..._"

" Why are you freaking out like this, Gods it's not like I'm planning to rape you?! As for the "wanting" part, I just can't help it, sorry, what do you expect from me, I mean you do look the way you look, ok?" the War God said, looking pleadingly at her cerulean moons.

"Ares…..you know we can't be together," she said, more to herself than him.

" Why not? Huh? Because old feelings might resurface? That's what you're so scared of…..?" he inquired searching her gaze….

"Don't push me…please…." she murmured sounding almost hurt, making Ares's heart skip a beat at the sound of her pleading tone.

"Fine….I won't…..Just….at least let me hold you..."

"Promise you won't try anything….."

"I promise."

She looked at him long and hard. He seemed to be sincere so she finally nodded and slid back next to him.

At this point the War God was absolutely ecstatic….. she had actually allowed him to hold her.

Under the warm water, the God of War wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his lap, pressing her luscious body against his chest.

As Xena opened her mouth to protest, Ares silenced her with words of his own:

"Shhh….I promised, remember?" he said gently whilst tenderly caressing her hair.

Eventually, she did relax and she put all her weight on his masculine form. Ares felt great, he loved that she was letting go…..At least for that one precious moment, she was his. As he breathed, their two bodies moved together and the Warrior Princess closed her eyes. She turned her head slighting to properly rest in the crook of her Gods neck. He smiled….He couldn't remember when he had felt so happy….Right out of nowhere though, the sound of a gong echoed drearily throughout the room.

Time was up…

* * *

The fierce Warrior tossed and turned in bed, kept up by thoughts of Ares but desperately wanting sleep.

Consequently, she did the next best thing.

Silently, Xena padded down the hallways and came to halt at a large door. It was wooden and carved into it were intricate Greek patterns. She slowly turned the black handles and the door creaked open. The halls were flooded with moonlight so she quickly closed them again.

Xena looked around the courtyard….Nothing had changed, it seemed that everything was the same in the damn place - including her feelings for Ares.

She plopped down at the base of a nearby tree and put her head in hands. _"Why can't I get him off my mind?! So what if I'm attracted to him?….. It means nothing. He's still the same old conniving Bastard..."_

Then her mind went back to the moments they shared just hours before….She was lying on his chest, her head resting in the crook of his neck...

She shook her head as if trying to rip away the invisible bonds keeping her tied to him.

In the corner of her eyes, Xena suddenly saw a blue light form, and then the alluring silhouette of the handsome God stood in its place. She rose up to make her presence known.

"Oh, Xena. Hey….." he said, surprised to find his Chosen there at that late hour of the night…."I thought you were at sleep…."

"What are you doing here?" The Warrior asked.

"What are YOU doing here?" he retorted jokingly.

She smiled at him then said playfully, "I asked you first."

"That doesn't mean I have to answer."

"Then I don't have to either."

"... I couldn't sleep," Ares finally replied. "What about you? Why are you here, Princess?"

"Couldn't sleep either," she answered, letting her guard down ever so slightly. Xena sat back down and motioned for Ares to sit down next to her.

They sat in silence, both secretly trying to figure out what the other was thinking. Neither could figure it out without mentioning the obvious even though they both hoped it was them, and that wasn't false hope.

Ares mind was plagued with sweet thoughts about his Warrior Princess. He was always thinking about her but this time seemed so different because now she was here with him.

Xena's mind continued to rattle on about Ares and once again, she started to long for him. It was ache that just didn't go away.

"So…..couldn't sleep, huh?" she inquired softly.

He turned his head to look at her. Their faces were so close that he the indescribable urge to lean in and kiss her. It took all of his reserves not too.

"Yeah…..Gods don't sleep much….What about you?"

"Just... doing some thinking..."

"About…..?"

"A little bit about everything…..," she replied, indicating by her general reply that it was useless trying to get any better answer from her.

The God nodded and relaxed against the tree and closed his eyes, content with feeling her nearness, until her voice broke through the cool, night air, that is:

"Goodnight Ares," the beauty said before heading off to bed.

"Good night Princess…Sweet dreams…" he added, his wistful gaze letting her know exactly who he hoped Morpheus would show in her dream land.


	4. Trials

**Thanks to: my loyal Guest reviewer and Xentrya. Thanks you guys for reviewing! I love seeing what you all think :) :) xxx**

* * *

"Ugh!" Ares groaned. "Zeus is calling..."

Rolling her eyes at the God, there was nothing left for the Warrior to do than stand up and glance wistfully at the ridiculously good food that was to be left on the table uneaten.

"Right then, lets go," she said wasting no more words…..

Ares growled again in response, the last thing he was in the vein for was to see his family precisely when him and Xena were finally having something that at least sounded like a decent conversation…conversation which was pretty much ruined now…If he didn't know better he would have almost said that his folks had deliberately called the meeting so that they could screw things up for him….

He held her hand as he transported them to the main hall, then briskly let go once they got there, aware that she would let his go anyway.

They say down at the table and waited for all the other Gods and their Chosen to make their arrivals and sit down around the grand, rectangular table.

"Gods, Goddesses and Chosens of Olympus. Today is a day to remember, a day during which we will finally get to see if you deserve one another….I will call this day the Day of Trust…..for your faith in one another will be tested according to the Olympian custom and laws" Zeus' imperative voice boomed through the room, echoing off the walls, bouncing back like it was hitting everyone in the face.

"Today, each God and his Chosen will have to face 3 trials….. To fail these trials means severe punishment suited to each element the God possess. Please proceed through the doors with your pairs."

As he said this, two elaborate doors slowly swung open and the God and Chosen closest to them stood up as did everyone else. As each pair walked through, there was a flash of hazy silver light as they were transported to their trial arenas.

Xena and Ares were close to the end…..It didn't take long for their mind to begin entering the alarm mode. Before they entered the doors, worried as always about his Princess, the War God materialised a purple hilted dagger in his hand.

"Xena," he whispered. "Take this….. only Zeus knows what's in there that could try to kill you."

But no…. she was as stubborn as ever, there was no exception about it this time. She had always hated accepting help, especially from a God...

"No, Ares. I can handle whatever's in there."

"Goddamit! I need to know you're safe… I've got powers and a sword, you have nothing. Just take it, please Xe."

She looked at him cantankerously, let out a huge sigh and then, with obvious effort, held out her hand to receive the weapon.

From then on, the line moved swiftly forward and before they knew it, it was their turn to walk through.

As the pair before them disappeared, Xena couldn't help but notice that the previous Chosen was shaking like a leaf with fear of the unknown.

The Warrior Princess approached the doors with her head held high, she'd been in these kind of situations before, there was nothing for her to be afraid of. With Ares by her side, they walked together into the darkness...

* * *

"Xena?! Xena!"

His voice echoed around him, closing in on every side. He was in a vast, desert terrain. There were huge creepy vultures flying up ahead, screeching and squawking in the air, their steely claws and beaks ready to tear apart flesh and bone….. One swooped low to inspect the new arrival…..

Instinctively, the War God drew his sword and sliced its wing off and, wasting no more time he started to scout the land in search of his Princess.

* * *

The Warrior Princess trudged along, keeping a close eye on the eagle perched on a nearby tree, red dust whirled around in front of her face. She blinked a couple of times before she called out again:

"Ares!"

Still no response.

Consequently, she continued walking down her path wordlessly, even though her mind was reeling. She was still trying to figure out where in Tartarus Zeus had sent her, despite the fact that she was pretty much aware that there was not even the slightest chance to recognize anything from that bloody place which kinda looked like another dimension….Nothing like she had seen before…..

Nonetheless she began to make a mental map of what the area could possibly look like…..And then there was Ares... where was he?

All of the sudden she stopped…there was a noise…a very familiar but definitely not friendly noise of a sword being taken out of it's scabbard…..One single back flip was all it took for Xena to skilfully land 5 meters back and behind her pursuer. He was a bandit, dressed in rough, ripped clothes, coated in the same red dust she was already starting to get really sick of.

He spun around and charged at her, but he was obviously no match for the Warrior Princess who caught his wrist and flipped him onto his back on the ground before he could even get the chance to raise his blade properly, forcing him to slit his throat with it instead…  
For a few more seconds, after she took the sword and wiped it off the dead body, she just stood there staring at it's finely sharpened edge, a small smile starting to form on her full lips. She was pleased with the easy and clean kill.

She then continued to clump across the desert, dauntingly staring straight at her.

* * *

Rain had started to fall, but the God did not get wet of course. He couldn't care less if water was falling from the skies or not. There were no more bloodthirsty vultures now, just grey, foggy sky looming overhead.

His sword was back in the scabbard but his mind had not stopped busying itself with Xena. Where was she? Was she safe or dying, screaming out his name? It irked him to know that in that damned place he couldn't hear her, as if their connection was broken….

He shook his head trying to cast those thoughts aside...after all this was Xena, she could handle herself as good as he could.

Red soil clung to his black boots, he hated that too. He pretty much hated everything there…..

When he finally arrived at a crossroad, his gut told him he should turn right, so he did. Trekking swiftly through the desert, he soon saw a bridge in the distance...

* * *

She ran towards the bridge, thinking it could be her ticket out of the Gods damned place. When she reached it, she wasn't too surprised to find that the bridge was old, rickety and looked like it was about to snap any second. Cautiously, she placed one foot on , testing it.

She jumped immediately back when four planks fell down into the dark, rocky abyss below.

Just as she was going to step back to find another way across, Xena felt a push and she found herself face first with the darkness. Reacting instantly, she grabbed one of the ropes with her right arm, swinging dangerously back and forth. Taking a risk, she grabbed the other rope to balance her weight and swung around to see who had pushed her.

There was no one there...

* * *

As Ares got closer, he saw a figure hanging from ropes on the other end of the bridge.

"Xena!" he cried out, running now.

"Ares," came the muffled, gruff response.

He stopped at the edge, causing some loose rocks to fall, fading quickly into the darkness threatening to eat his Princess in one big gulp if she let go.

"Xena, just hold on. I'll get us out of this."

But no, she was having none of it. She started to swing back to the edge she was pushed off. The skilled Warrior then flipped back onto her side of the desert and turned to face her God.

"Ares, we have to..."

Her speech was cut short as she sensed two arrows flying towards her back. Spinning around, she expertly caught both. Several war cries broke out and a whole tribe of barbarians seemed to jump out of thin air!

Shouting out orders in a foreign language, the obvious leader started to advance towards them, the rest of the Warriors following. She was soon surrounded from all angles. Nobody got to move a muscle though that fifteen were knocked out by bright blue fireballs!

Crying her own war cry, the Warrior Princess leaped into action. Flipping over three, she knocked them all in the head then grabbed a guy who was skilfully coming in from behind, throwing him over his head in such a way that he landed on his own sword.

She deflected several blows from one adventurous little soul before pulling her dagger from her boot and slicing his throat open. Another one came from behind and she spun around and slashed his face then with a well aimed kick to the chest, sending him flying.

Pulling her hidden dagger, she used it to kill of a few more of the maggots before confronting the tribal leader.

The best word to describe him was "a tank". He was massive and had a really, really big, curved sword. They started to fight, most of the time Xena using her agility to her advantage, ducking and running around the big unit.

In the meantime, Ares was creating another bridge as he could not transport in this realm.

Xena sliced the man on his left calf then on the right thigh….. he growled in pain, but still had the nerve to launch a series of well executed swings of his sword, one nicking her on the shoulder.  
Blood spurted from the cut, running down her arm. A quick look to see how Ares was doing was all the barbarian needed- he quickly stabbed his sword through the first place he saw, the left shoulder, right above the heart.

Crying out in shock and pain, the Warrior fell heavily to her knees, dropping the two daggers in the process.

Hearing her cry, Ares looked up worriedly. His expression turn from shock to fear as he saw her kneeling at the monster's feet. He instantly charged across and drew his sword.

Slashing at him wildly, the barbarian managed to block several of the Gods strikes before he plunged the sword straight into his heart, twisting it brutally, relishing the screams of pain emanating from his foe. Yanking his sword out then sliding it back into it's scabbard, Ares ran to Xena's side.

She was lying on her side, taking short, sharp breaths, clutching her chest. The tank's sword was lying, bloody, next to her.

He propped her up against him, "Hey Xe, you'll be ok. I know you will, I'll get you better..."

"Ares," she gasped out before having a coughing fit, spitting out blood. "Trust..."

That was the last thing she said before blacking out.**  
**


	5. Near Death

**Thanks to: Xentrya for all your help & reviews. Keep up the good reviewing guys! :)**

* * *

"Xena, Xe! Come on wake up!" He hated this, he had known from the very beginning this was all a bad idea. He hated the game, it was stupid and he hated Zeus for having created it.

"ZEUS!" he bellowed.

A portal opened in the sky and the great God's voice passed through:

"What is it, my Son?" he questioned, almost innocently.

"Xena... save her..." he said, holding his breath, waiting for his father's answer.

"And just why would I bother to waste my powers on a petty mortal, may I ask?"

"Gods dammit! This wasn't part of the game! Just save her for Gaia's sake, will ya'?!"

"I see…Well….. you are right about one thing…..Killing your Chosen ones was definitely, not part of the game, no more trials are to be faced at the moment. I'll think about it…..."

One quick second later, Ares found himself with Xena still in his arms, in his bedchamber in the Halls of War.

He checked her pulse and breathing- they were faint and shallow.

"_Too faint_," he said to himself.

For a few seconds a frown crossed his gorgeous features…He hated the idea of losing her and letting her go was maybe the only non negotiable thing in the world for him… She was his whether she accepted it or not, - he didn't give a damn about her opinion on the matter anyway…

Laying her on his bed, he stripped her dress of her body then bandaged her wound, putting pressure on it to stop the bleeding. He called out to Zeus but in receiving no response, he quickly realised he needed to save her himself.

Making a whole lot of Herbal treatments appear with a wave of his hand, he selected a tea, mixed it up and fed it to her. It would aid her recovery and minus the pain when she woke.

Lying down next to her, he gazed lovingly at her closed eyelids, waiting for them to miraculously open… They didn't – of course so he eventually fell asleep too, a rare thing for a God.

Hours later he woke up when he felt a presence in his room…Standing up he scanned the room but seeing nothing he took off Xena's dressing- it was soaked through with blood. He coated it with green, special healer ointments then bandaged it up again.

"Alright, come out," he suddenly growled, irritated by the awareness that there was someone else rudely invading their privacy and had already drawn the sword from his scabbard when a smirking Athena appeared on the other side of his chamber.

"What are you doing here?" he snarled.

She threw her head back laughing, the evil noise bouncing around the room like a rubber ball.

"Hello to you too Brother; how's your little Xena going?" she asked maliciously whilst sauntering over to him.

"Oh let me guess, you've come to help," he grumbled. "Just get out Athena, before I make you spend eternity into five pieces..."

He let his threat finish on a low, menacing note. The Goddess was not phased though…

"As a matter of fact, it's Zeus' orders I help her..."

Ares swung around and glared at his sister.

"You're lying!" he barked.

"No, no I'm, not Brother…..Unfortunately I did promise I'll make it quick…..Just once slice to the throat should do the trick….That will put her out of her misery, right?"

As she said this, she pulled out a gleaming, gold dagger.

"I swear on Styx if you so much as harm a hair on her head, I'll skin you alive."

"Oh, how very convincing….. I'm sure you will..."

Ares growled and charged at her. She disappeared right before he could do any real damage though...

He then immediately created a protective shield around her so that Athena couldn't kill her, and, out in fury, the War God went to do what he did best... make War.

* * *

And War it was!

Ares yanked his sword out from another one of his helpless victims. He loved hearing his army shout his name, the spirit of battle racing through his godly veins...

Suddenly he felt a jolt, Xena was awake!

Leaving the battlefield, he appeared next to her bed. She had her eyes open wide and was looking around impatiently but relaxed a little and croaked out as soon as she saw him:

"Ares...Wha-what..."

"Shh, it's ok..." he said comfortingly as he sat down next to her and started to stroke her hair. "You were stabbed remember? But it's ok, you're alive, that's all that counts…."

A faint smile played across her lips and she closed her eyes and fully relaxed. She had lost a lot of blood and was still weak, even after half a day of sleeping.

"Now you're awake, I'll use my powers to finish healing you."

"No, don't waste them on me," she said shakily then started coughing. Proving that she did indeed need his help.

Ignoring her, Ares placed one hand on her head and the other over her mouth. Blue light emanated from his fingers and he closed his eyes to focus. He felt Xena wriggle and gasp as his healing energy flowed into her.

Once she was fully healed, Ares collapsed on the chair next to the bed. Then leant over and kissed her on the forehead.

"Don't ever do that to me again," he murmured.

Xena laughed, "Too much for you to handle, War God?"

He smirked, but shook his head at her.

"Right, will you be able to go to ball tonight?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I should be okay," she replied and started to sit up

She placed one foot, then the other on the floor then holding on to Ares hand, stood up. She was wobbly and fell - straight into his arms.

He caught her and swiftly helped her stand again. Xena looked a little embarrassed at having fallen over but Ares just smiled at her reassuringly. She stood again and let go of Ares hand, she was all right now.

"Come get me when it's time to go."

As she turned to walk out of the room, Ares caught her hand and pulled her close.

"Wait," he said.

She looked up at him, surprising him and herself by making no move to get out of his embrace.

"The trial was about trust right...?" he uttered, watching her and holding her a little bit tighter. "After what happened today…do you trust me now? Do you believe that I would never hurt you in any way and that I will always be there for you? "

She smiled at him then gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

No more words were needed, the kiss had said everything.

He grinned and she walked out as he disappeared..

* * *

"Come out!" she shouted.

A golden light filled the room and a Goddess stepped out of it.

"Athena... what do you want?"

She didn't say anything but pulled out two daggers and threw them at the Warrior. Reacting quickly, Xena caught them both.

She was about to open her mouth and say something, but the Goddess was gone...**  
**


	6. Fantasy with Death

**Hey guys, sorry for the last chapters mistake! This time I will get it the right chapter, haha. :) Merry Christmas everyone! :) Hope you all have a great time this Christmas filled with happiness :) xox**

* * *

Arm in arm, the perfect pair walked up to the golden doors. Slowly, they started to open in front of them, light edging its way to reflect the faces of the God and Mortal.

The couples dancing closest to the doors stopped. They stared in awe at the unmatchable beauty of the Princess and the deliciously gorgeous God.

"Hey babe! Hey bro!" a cheerful voice rang out as flashes of pink came running at them.

Aphrodite squeezed them both in a very generous hug and grinned.

"Woah! Hey Sis," Ares replied, glancing at her out outfit and raising his eyebrows a little. "You look...good."

It was a coral dress, if you could call it that. And it left, of course very little to imagination.

"Yeah, uh, you look great, Dite" Xena quickly added trying to cover the easily to remark note of sarcasm in Ares's tone.

"Thanks guys but Xe, I gotta say it: in that dress, I can like totally see why my brother's so obsessed with you. You look incredible!"

Xena laughed and Ares slipped an arm around her waist and squeezed it. The blue-eyed beauty looked up at him smiling. He smiled right back.

The Love Goddess was watching the two intently. The way they were reacting to each other was perfect in every sense of the word and every ounce of their love could be read in their eyes.

The pair looked back at Aphrodite.

"What?" they both questioned at the same time.

"Oh nothing, I'll see you two later!" she said with a wink and sauntered off to find Cupid and his family.

Xena and Ares walked off together in search of wine. Secretly, the Warrior Princess was looking for something else too…..or better said someone…... that Bitch Goddess Athena. She tried not to make it seem too obvious because she hadn't told Ares anything about it, but he soon picked up on her eyes intently scanning the room.

"Who are you looking for Xe?" he whispered in her ear.

She tensed then moved a little.

"No one in particular…."

He squeezed her waist a bit harder but kept walking so that they wouldn't attract even more attention…..

"Come on, talk to me…..what's happened? Who are you looking for?"

She shrugged and said on a harsh tone emphasised by the look in her eyes:

"No one," .

Sighing, the god didn't push it so instead he got her some more wine then once they had drunk quite a bit, a slow, seductive song came on.

"Care to dance, Princess?" he asked, words slightly slurred but still in control.

She glared at him, glancing at his hand sharply for she knew how much he had been drinking. Sighing, she took it and walked out with him.

They stood there awkwardly for a minute and just as Ares started to make a move, Xena decided it was game on.

Slowly, she began to sway her hips to the music whilst cunningly gazing at him through her bangs. She saw his eyes travel over her body and stop on her sensual hips. She put her arms up in the air and twirled in a circle then leaned over and bit his neck, a light, sexy, playful nip. Then, letting her hands roam, she brushed lightly over his crotch up to his chest and tweaked his nipples.

He could no longer control himself now. He grabbed her wrists and brought them up to rest behind his neck and use his own to grip her waist, pulling her close, his erection pushing into her stomach. He brutally crushed his lips onto hers. No surprise there. I mean between the wine and her teasing, no man would be able to control themselves…..

When she didn't kiss him back, he pulled back and looked angrily into her eyes. She licked her lips then darted her tongue out to trace his, a self satisfied smile on her face.

Power. She loved it, he loved it. This was going to be interesting. The Warrior Princess was obviously enjoying the power she held over her God at the very moment, but Ares wanted some too.

Kissing her again, he pried her stubborn lips open and slipped his tongue in. If anything could ever be called a 'tongue war' then this was it. Xena let out a low moan which travelled through both of their bodies. Ares' hand moved up to grip his Princess' hair and her fingers lightly brushed up and down his neck. Then it was like they were the only two in the room. The Lord of War jerked Xena's head back, breaking the kiss and proceeded to kiss her jaw-line, chin and neck. Xena arched into him and moaned again.

Suddenly, a scream interrupted them. The looked up and around. A few pairs of eyes were still watching what must of been a pretty damn good show by the two of them but everyone else was huddled around something. They ran over and tried to get through to see what had happened. They had no idea though until they saw a trail of bright, red blood sliding towards them.

Pushing through and yelling for people to get out of the way, Ares and Xena finally made it to the scene. It was horrific. Blood everywhere and the body had taken a brutal hacking. It was faceless but everyone recognised the glinting, gold armour and short, neat, brown hair.

It was Athena. And next to her, written in blood was the word 'FAIL'.

Zeus pushed though everyone, his eyes and face giving away to shock. After a moment, he composed himself and took control of the situation.

"Gods! Take your Chosens away from here and protect them. Artemis, you take Athena's Chosen with you and stay with your twin, Apollo." he uttered glancing around before his eyes rested on Xena and Ares. "Ares, you and the Warrior Princess will stay here with me. The rest of you, GO!"

Different coloured lights danced around the room for about 10 seconds as all the gods hastily departed with their Chosen ones.

The three left stood in a circle. Xena was frowning, Ares was smirking a little and trying to hide it from his father and Zeus was just plain flabbergasted.

"Athena…." Xena said, her voice was hollow but slightly disappointed.

"Yeah..." Ares said.

"Do you two have any idea what happened?"

Ares shook his head but Xena nodded. Both Gods looked at her in surprise.

"You do?!" the War God asked, surprised. Zeus stared hard at her as she started to speak:

"Last night, Athena came to kill me. She failed and I think this is why she's dead. Because she didn't kill me. Look at her, the word 'fail' in written in her blood next to her, that is the only plausible explanation."

"What?!" Ares exploded. "And just when exactly were you planning to tell this to me? Why didn't you call me?"

"I didn't think it was a problem and yes I did think about it, just didn't tell you," she said back, defensively.

"You could have been killed. She is….was a Goddess, Xena! What were you thinking?!"

She fixed him with her most icy glare then snarled at him.

"Well I didn't perceive her as a real threat that's all. I could handle her!..."

"ALRIGHT! That's enough out of you two!" Zeus' voice thundered menacingly.  
They both turned to look at the King of the Gods, staring at him like two children caught stealing bread from the bakery

"There are only few weapons that can kill a God….Whoever has done this to Athena must pay…. You two are in charge of tracking them down... and killing them."

Giving them both a nod, he disappeared in a hazy flash of lightning bolts, taking the dead Goddess' body with him.

Ares put his hand on Xena's shoulder and transported them to the Halls of War.

She flopped down on the bed, seemingly drained of all energy. The God lay down beside her. Despite being immortal, he also felt completely tired out. He wanted nothing more than to lay on his bed with her in his arms, forever.

He rolled over and propped himself up to look at her. She glanced over at him then reverted her eyes back to the roof.

"Xena..."

"What?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't need your protection, Ares."

"Yeah, you weren't saying that yesterday."

She glared at him. He sighed and shifted a little.

"Look, if you had of..." he didn't bring himself to say the word. It was a strange feeling- being afraid of death... after all he did love the concept given the fact that he was living his everyday life in the company of mortals dying on one battlefield or another...Still, when it came to Xena, he was constantly tortured by the idea.

"If I die, I die. I'm only mortal Ares, not a God. I can't live forever."

She was calm and tender, trying to comfort him by placing her hand on his arm and giving it a gentle but reassuring squeeze.

He suddenly grabbed her hand violently and kissed it.

"Stay with me," his voice croaked. " Become my Goddess, my Enyo, my Eternity..."

His eyes were so pleading and his hands were shaking. He obviously did not like the idea of losing her. And she wasn't helping, just sitting there looking shell shocked. Softly, slowly but without hesitation, the gorgeous God captured his Princess' lips in a perfect kiss. One of those really special ones only they could share...

* * *

A mirror, rimmed with jewels stood in the middle of a dark, damp room. A figure stood in front of it, watching Ares lean down and kiss his love again...

"No!" a voice screamed out. "They can't be falling in love, they can't!"

Silver light flooded the room and a robed, hooded figure stepped out.

"You cannot stop their union. It was told eons ago that War would be brought into a balance by Love. There is nothing you can do..."

"Well I'm sorry, but I can't just let that happen."

A flaming orange ball was hurled at the hooded figure, they screamed and jumped aside, then another one came spinning at them, hitting them square in the chest.

Evil laughter and scarred screams were the only sounds left echoing off the walls. **  
**


	7. One Word

**Thanks to my reviewers: Lady Augustin, down-understudios, Irene Tale and Only1ToniD. You guys are the ones that keep my going. Now, onto the story! :)**

* * *

Love...

That was the one word she had been thinking about all night. The one word she was feeling. The one word to describe what they had just shared.

Xena looked at the peacefully sleeping God whose chest she was currently lying on, his hand protectively draped across her lithe form. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she remembered what had happened just a few hours before...

**_Pulling back from the first kiss, he looked deep into her cerulean moons. She stared back until his lips came down upon hers again, claiming them in what proved to be an almost savage battle for dominion. One hand slid down to rest on her waist and the other around her neck, when suddenly Xena moved her head to the side, halting his intentions. _**

**_"No," she breathed raggedly. "I….we can't do this..." _**

**_Ares playfully bit her earlobe, making her shiver, then whispered: "It's okay, we don't have to do anything if you're not sure about it….." _**

**_Shifting her gaze to look at him she was instantly taken aback by the obvious desire floating on the surface of his mesmerising, brown orbs. He moved back a little, taking his hands off her, the perfect chance for her inquisitive eyes to travel over his body to the bulge currently occupying the front of his pants. Raising an eyebrow appreciatively, she finally decided to allow the wave of desire pass into her own eyes too. Scanning his wet, sexy lips, she just couldn't suppress the urge to lick her own- and that was all the signal Ares needed in order to lean down again and greedily part them with his tongue._**

**_This time her hands gripped his hair and her legs locked around his waist. The God looked at her one last time before he began trailing an infinity of blazing kisses down her neck and towards her breasts. _**

**_Next thing she knew, he was slowly unlacing her shift then tore it off her body as she roughly pushed off his vest, tightening her hold around his waist, grinding into his erection. He moaned at the contact and traced a nipple with his tongue, nipping at it, making her back arch up towards him._**

**_Soon, all that could be heard were deep moans and groans of unrestrained pleasure and passion echoing through the War Gods' domain. _**

**_Nearly at the point of no return, Ares was desperately thrusting her with all that he had. Xena was taking it all, matching each thrust, clinging to him. Like a fevered man, the God searched for her lips again, tongues fighting with all their might._**

**_Despite the unmeasurable dose of ecstasy travelling up and down throughout his body, Ares was doing his best to prolong his release – obviously fearing that for his Princess this would be a simple one night stand, until Xena's inner muscles tightened around him, that is..._**

**_"Ohhh, gods Xena!" _**

**_"Areeeess" _**

**_The very next minute, and at the same time, in the heat of the moment, their most closely guarded secret was unleashed. _**

**_"I love you!"_ **

At the remembrance of their long-awaited confession, the Warrior Princess was unable to suppress a wide smile. He loved her and she loved him back… everything would be alright.

Looking up at her God again, she found him staring at her. As she let the bright light of another smile illuminate her features, she then crossed her arms and laid her head on them in the centre of his chest. He ran his fingers through the raven tresses splayed over her shoulders then kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"Morning," he whispered against her lips.

"Morning."

"How did you sleep?" he questioned, winking at her as the still vivid images of their lovemaking invaded his mind. "You're pretty damn awesome Babe, did you know that? " he asked without bothering to wait for her answer. "I can't believe that you actually still managed to keep up with me." he added with a devilish grin.

At his last statement, she just chuckled softly and rolled off him.

"Yeah, well….you're not too bad either, War God," she replied smugly.

A mock hurt expression made way on Ares visage.

Yawning and stretching, Xena rose out of bed and sauntered over to a chair, grabbed a towel to wrap around her then went to the window. Ares came up behind her, his fingers teasingly dancing across the front of the towel that stopped just above her breasts. They came to rest on her shoulders and he kissed her neck whilst starting to lower it a little.

"Now, now Xe… We won't be needing this…" he breathed huskily against her lips, trailing his kisses to her shoulder and back. She started to lean into him and went to turn around and kiss him back when a pink light and bubbly voice interrupted.

"Hey Bro, Warrior Babe, you know I hate to interrupt this but... some pretty interesting things happened. We need you both on Olympus like right now."

Usually, Ares would have quickly dismissed his Sister, but she sounded so urgent that he couldn't deny the worry seeping into his brain. Before he could answer, Xena answered for him, nonetheless.

"Okay, we'll be there in a minute..."

"Yeah, just give us a chance to... you know, **get dressed**," Ares intentionally stressed the last part.

Aphrodite left smiling again, in a shower of sweet smelling rose petals.

* * *

The War God entered the Halls, Xena's hand in his, not letting go this time until seated at the grand table. They sat together, silently waiting for the King of the Gods to make his appearance.

When he did, they couldn't help noticing that worry and sadness were etched onto his old face.

"Everyone please, make yourselves comfortable. I have some grave news," Zeus said, gesturing for everyone to take their seats.

"One of our own was killed last night… Hestia…"

Murmurs and gasps travelled through the room. Again, Zeus raised a hand to silence the group.

"Hestia was the goddess of hearth and family. She was kind and gentle so why someone would want to kill her is beyond me. A ceremony in her honour will be held tomorrow afternoon. You are now dismissed."

Everyone, with perplexed expressions on their faces, disappeared. All except Ares and Xena. They walked up to the King of the Gods.

"How did she die?" Ares asked.

"Incinerated."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Bullshit, why was she burned to death?" Ares asked again.

A weary sigh escaped his father's lips, "We have reason to believe that she had an idea someone didn't like or didn't want getting out so they killed her."

Xena and Ares frowned and looked at each other before disappearing, leaving Zeus to think about what he just told them.

Soon after their disappearance though, Apollo appeared to his father.

"Hello Dad," he said, an evil smirk plastered on his face.

"Apollo, my Son, if you're here to ask about Hestia then don't. I'm not in the mood to tell you anything."

Evil laughter erupted from Apollo and he suddenly shot a ball of fire at his father, smashing him into a nearby wall.

Enraged, Zeus shot a lightning ball back but Apollo swiftly dodged it, a red light now consuming his eyes.

"You can't stop it, I will kill everyone who refuses to join us." With that, Apollo hurled another fireball at Zeus and the King disappeared, making it look like Apollo had killed him.

"WE DID IT!" the Sun God cheered, throwing his hands up, looking up as if talking to a higher deity. "Ladies, Zeus is dead!"**  
**


	8. Enemy

**Thanks to: Xentrya, Lady Augustin and XenaGriffin for your reviews :)**

* * *

Dizzying flashes of light surrounded the Sun God as he found himself falling through a world of oblivion.

"Woah!" he cried out when he hit a cold, stone floor.

"Welcome Apollo... We have a new assignment for you."

Apollo suddenly scowled, "Would you just come out already?! I'm sick of you talking in the shadows like some evil fortune teller!"

When he finally finished his little rant, he looked up to see a blonde, scantily clad figure relaxing on the plush couch before him. He raised his eyebrows appreciably, and then, with a wink, proceeded to make his way over to her.

Before he could even get close though, a manicured hand came up, literally freezing him in his tracks.

"Na-ah. Business only," came the statement that was instantly matched by a pout coming from the God's part.

He sighed, "So my new assignment... What is it...?"

"Kill Xena."

* * *

He blinked. Once. Twice. Then stood up to gaze around him.

There was nothing, he didn't even know how he was standing.

Suddenly, he felt two hands starting to caress his arms. He recognised the touch, soft, passionate... Xena's. He smiled then looked down at her hands.

The look quickly turned into a long, persistent stare.

Red.

Blood, all over her hands. Leaving a trail of it wherever she touched him.

He jerked away, seeing his own hands covered in it. Mortal blood…..it could be anyone's. Could be Xena's. Turning around, he met his love's eyes. Still a piercing, fiery blue. Then he looked at what she was wearing…. armour, his armour. The battle dress he gave her when she was his warlord.

"Xena-wha-"

"Shhhhh," it all ran together when she passionately kissed him on the mouth. "Good isn't it, Ares? You having me back….. The darkness... I'm yours...all yours"

She kissed him again, tongue demanding entry. Her hands gripping his hair, staining it with blood. Whether he was shocked, surprised or disgusted, he couldn't tell but he pulled back, looking at her again. She had a feral grin plastered on her visage.

He frowned. This isn't what he wanted. He wanted the new Xena. Not the old one.

She leaned in again but this time, he pulled away, not wanting to touch her. She reached for him and he grabbed her wrists, stopping them mid-air from touching his chest.

He looked at them again, still stained with blood. Suddenly, they started to change.

They started to shrivel up, warts exploding over the surface, surrounded by ugly, scarred and cracked skin. Startled, he let them go, taking another step back.

"It's good, isn't it Areeees... Everything you've ever wanted..."

"No, no, no..."

"What do you mean no?! Don't you want me any more Ares?" her voice was high pitched, scratchy, like broken shards of glass. Her face and body started to transform and scantily clad, blonde figure was now in Xena's place.

"Alecto."

"Hello Ares..."

"That was …you?" he asked.

"Just a vision of the future..." a wicked grin came over her pale visage. "I'm gonna guess you don't want that happening?"

Ares eyes were blazing with anger, "What do you want?"

Her voice came out shrill but commanding, "Furies! The verdict is settled. Ares is guilty of the crimes said against him. He will be punished with madness!" With one last evil grin, she disappeared.

Panting, Ares sat bolt right in bed. Sweat lined his brow and he reached for Xena.

"Ares, wha-what are you doing?"

Frantically, he pulled her form towards him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. He buried her face in her hair, breathing in deeply, the soft scent.

Still confused, Xena caressed his arms lightly, "Ares... what happened?"

His only response was a sweet, protective kiss on her forehead before pulling back to look at her.

She frowned and brough a hand up to smooth back his hair and took the corner of the sheet to wipe his brow.

"You're sweating Ares, what did you see?"

"Don't ever change, Baby, not ever," he said bringing her to sit properly on his lap, facing him. To be more comfortable, she wrapped her legs around his waist while he convulsively gripped hers.

He kissed her softly before saying: "I love you now, not when you were a warlord. I love you."

He leaned in again and kissed her tenderly and lovingly, but the other Xena, the one that tasted of blood, invaded his mind. He pulled back abruptly.

Slowly, he felt himself go crazy. He wanted to rip this women apart but at the same time, throw her down and fuck her hard.

Putting his hands on his temples, he vainly tried to keep in control.

"You need to get away from me," at her confused look he added: "Don't worry, it will be over soon. It'll be ok, just get 'Dite to take you away. I'm sorry Xe... but you're not safe around me at the moment..."

"Ares..."

"NO! Please, just go... I don't want to hurt you," his eyes were sad and his voice so pleading that she jumped off him grabbing the sheet off the bed to cover her naked body.

To think, only a few hours before, they were making love and now he was asking her to leave?!

Shaking her head vigorously at the strangeness of the situation, she walked out of the room, felling his burning gaze on her form.

Ares continued to stare, even when the door was closed and he could no longer see her. His eyes glued until he heard a shout then pink light fill the cracks around the door. Only then could he lean back, happy with the knowledge she was safe- for now...

* * *

A satisfied smile graced Alecto's features. The other two Furies were grinning like crazy behind her.

"We did it! Now Xena is no longer under Ares' protection and he won't come like a puppy when he's called 'cause he doesn't trust himself with her... Perfect... Apollo now you can kill her..."

The other two Furies laughed uncontrollably and Alecto and Apollo joined in. Until Apollo slipped an arm around her waist and pulled the blonde towards him.

"Yeah, now it's my turn to win," with that line, he crushed his lips down onto hers.**  
**


	9. Understanding Blonde Bards

**Thanks to: XenaGriffin, Xentrya and Lady Augustin for your reviews.**

**This chapter is dedicated to the much loved Kevin Smith who died Feb the 16th 2002. Rest in Peace old friend :)**

* * *

**She was a day late. Gabrielle sat in the town waiting for her friend. Not really worrying about her, she just figured she was out killing some overzealous warlords and helping people.******

**So boy, was it a shock when she turned up with Aphrodite.******

**"****Xena!" the petite bard said, walking over to embrace her friend.******

**"****Hey Gabrielle," the Warrior said, with only seconds to spare before the Love Goddess cut in.******

**"****Hey Sweetcheeks! Oooo, I haven't seen you in aggeeees!" the Goddess said before crushing her friend to her ample bosom in some soft of a friendly embrace.******

**"****Good to see you too, Aphrodite..." Gabrielle said a little awkwardly, hugging her back nevertheless.******

**"****So Xena, what are you doing with Aphrodite? I though you'd be saving a village or something...?"******

**A guilty look flashed across Xena's face before speaking:******

**"****I wasn't with Aphrodite, I was with Ares..."******

**The instant the Bard's eyes widened and her face paled significantly, the blonde Goddess finally took it as her cue to leave.******

**"****See ya' round Chicka's!" she said before hastily making her departure, escaping what she was dead sure would turn out to be quite a melodramatic scene.******

**Without throwing as much as a glance in the direction of the vanishing Aphrodite, Gabrielle opened her mouth, ready to let those rivers of fiery words burning her throat tumble out without a second thought.******

**"****You were with ARES?! You mean you didn't even think to drop in before to let me know you were playing dollies with the God of War? Don't I even ****_rate_****that any more, ****_Princess_****?" she stressed with disgust one of his pet names for her.******

**"****Now, just wait a minute Gabrielle..."******

**"****No, you wait a minute Xena! You left me waiting here for a whole day, without even a second thought to be with HIM?!" Suddenly her wide, angry green eyes changed under the effect of a cold and accusing stare.******

**"****You slept with him didn't you?!"******

**Taking in her friends blank look, the Bard turned away before saying:******

**"****You did, didn't you?"******

**"****Gabrielle..." Xena said, reaching for her. "It's not like that... "******

**"****Oh no? Then how is it like Xena? Weren't you sweating and squirming in his arms without the slightest concern? But I guess you didn't have to worry about anyone else, aware that sweet little Gabrielle is too good of a friend to be waiting patiently for you to finish riding him! And now, he'll be around here gloating and rubbing it in my face-" she abruptly broke off once she realised what she had been saying.******

**Bringing a hand to her mouth, as if creating a bubble to stop any more of her horrible, violent words from coming out, she spoke:****  
****  
"Oh Xena, I'm sorry its just that he's so evil and I'm so scared that you will go back to your old self..."******

**"****He's not evil Gabrielle..." the Warrior said, placing a calming hand on her shoulder, slightly touched by her friends concern.******

**"****Not evil?!" the Bard exclaimed, searching desperately her friends piercing eyes. "Was it that good that you forgot all the nasty things he's done to you? To ****_us_****?"******

**"****No, I haven't forgotten. If you must know, since I'm his Chosen and all, I have to attend certain things on Olympus. Every two years, there's a ball, accompanied by five days of activities. I ****_had_****to go. Trust me, at first I didn't want to but in the end he showed me I could trust him again. It was like the old days when we were lovers..."******

**"****The 'old days'? Xena, I thought you were trying to get away from them?" she softly said.******

**"****I'm not saying I'm going to be a warlord again just... be with Ares."******

**A grim look was plastered over Gabrielle's features as realisation dawned on her.******

**"****You love him, don't you?" she said, green eyes shifting to the ground, her voice coming out weaker than intended.******

**Then, a mere second later, she was safely encased in her friends arms, a tear falling from a usually inquisitive eye. When Xena started to stroke her hair, Gabrielle gave up trying to be angry with her and wrapped her own arms around her before bursting into a torrent of tears.******

**"****Shhh, it's ok. We'll still be friends, still travel together. Righting wrongs, running around the gods-damned countryside helping people like we always do." she pulled back and knelt down a little, bringing herself to her friends level then cupped Gabrielle's face in her hands.******

**"****Ares will just hang around a bit more."******

**Suddenly, a chuckle escaped the bards lips at the image that popped into her head.******

**"****Yeah, Ares defending innocent villagers."******

**Xena smiled then put an arm around her.******

**Gabrielle rested her head on the Warrior's shoulder.******

**"****Xena, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have got so angry and-"******

**"****No, it's ok, you had every right to be."******

**They smiled at each other before Gabrielle broke the silence.******

**"****Well, now that's sorted we can go get a drink."******

**"****Gabrielle, there is one more thing..."**

****

**"****So, Athena's dead and you think Ares has gone crazy?"******

**"****Yup."******

**As Gabrielle was going to give her friend a very critical analysis and possibly a solution to the current godly problems, a golden light flashed on the third seat at the table.******

**Apollo appeared with the Chakram resting firmly against his neck and snarling Xena to greet him.******

**He shuffled nervously before getting the courage to look into her piercing blue orbs.******

**"****What do you want Apollo?"******

**"****I just came to talk."******

**Narrowing her eyes, she got up, grabbing him by the arm.******

**"****We'll talk outside then."******

**Gabrielle got up after them, chucking a few dinars on the counter before leaving.******

**Wrapping her slender fingers of her left hand around his neck and gripping the Chakram with the others, she shoved the Sun God against the tavern wall.******

**"****So let's talk."******

**Swallowing nervously, he slipped a golden dagger out of his gauntlet.******

**He smiled at her and she almost missed the glint in his eyes.******

**His hand started to move and reacting quickly she stepped back, grabbed his shoulder, spun him around and slammed him full force into the wall. Twisting his arm back, she grabbed the dagger, throwing it to the ground. The Warrior yanked his head back by his wavy locks, Chakram at his throat, a feral gleam in her eyes.******

**She whispered lowly:******

**"****You don't want to do that again do you?"******

**She spun him around again till their faces were so close that he actually considered kissing her thinking it would give him the perfect opportunity to catch her off guard and kill her. Well up until he felt a painful sensation at his groin. The God instantly dropped to the ground, moaning in pain and gasping.******

**"****Well, good to know that one still works on a God...Get out of here."******

**It's useless to say that Apollo quickly took advantage of the generously offered opportunity, disappearing as fast and in the same fashion he had appeared.******

**Putting the Chakram on her hip, Xena turned to see Gabrielle walking towards her.******

**"****Xena, was it really necessary to do that?"******

**The Warrior Princess' moons widened considerably.******

**"****Yes!" she hissed. "These Gods need to know who they're dealing with."******

**She then turned and proceeded to walk to the stables where their horses were.******

**Gabrielle sighed and followed, her erratic mind wondering what else in Zeus' name happened on Olympus while her friend was there...**


	10. What's the deal, big, bad God of War?

**Thanks to: Xentrya(my lovely friend and editor), Lady Augustin and Xen Griffin(for helping me with ideas). **

**Sorry it took so long to post, I will try my best to do better next time.**  
**Please continue to review, I absolutely love it when I get them. Thanks :)**

* * *

"ARES!" she bellowed, foot tapping, subconsciously drilling an angry hole in the dirt. "I know you can hear me! Dammit, just come out you bastard!" a now totally pissed off Warrior Princess yelled out into the pure, warm air.

Five minutes later, after having realised that the God didn't have the slightest intention to grace her with his presence, she stormed back to camp.

* * *

"Maybe he doesn't love me anymore..."

"No Xena, like you said before, he doesn't want to hurt you! Of course he still loves you."

" It doesn't make sense, Gabrielle! Something just doesn't click right! " Xena cried out, exasperated.

"Well, how about we go to his temple? There's one in the next town, we'll leave in the morning."

A warm smile slowly started to cascade over Xena's features.

"Thank you…." she whispered in a low voice, trying not to sound neither too excited nor impatient.

* * *

Argo was trotting lightly along the pale, dusty road, and, as usual, Xena was sitting atop of the beautiful mare, stiff backed, while Gabrielle was walking casually beside, humming softly to herself.

In the distance, not very far away, the shape of a black temple stood gravely, protruding out from the middle of two hills.

"We're almost there," Xena commented, recognising the dominant structure.

"Yeah, maybe an hour's ride? "

"More or less, yes"

" Well, given that I'm not planning on walking in there with you, why don't you and Argo go on ahead. I'll catch up ok?"

"But Gabrielle..."

"But nothing, go! I'll see you soon."**  
**

One last glance towards her Bard friend, and the Warrior Princess galloped away, refusing obstinately to slow until she reached the courtyard expanding in front of the dark, looming doors of the Lord of Death and Mayhem's temple.

Leaving Argo by a nearby tree, she climbed the steps and swung open the heavy doors. She was greeted by a priest who directed her to the altar room.

There, a young priestess that looked about seventeen, spoke to her:

"Are you here to make an offering to Lord Ares?"

"No, I need to talk to him."

"I'm afraid Lord Ares wishes not to be disturbed, this morning" she said clearly, scanning the women up and down.

"Well I couldn't care less about his wishes, so I suggest you let me pass. Trust me, you don't wanna make me mad…Now go and tell him that Xena is here"

"My Lord doesn't want you here, Xena. He gave me strict orders not to let you pass!"

When the Warrior took a menacing step forward though, the young priestess screamed for the guards.

A group of at least twenty men ran into the room, swords drawn. Automatically, Xena drew her own.

"Are sure you wanna do this? All I want to do is talk."****

"Kill her!" the girl shouted in a shrill voice.

"STOP!" bellowed a male voice. "Acantha, I believe I told you to make her **leave** the temple **not** to attack her. You know that no one is to attack myChosen in the Temple of War."

"Hello Ares, nice of you to join us," the blue-eyed beauty snarled at him. "So, ready to talk now? Got here just in time too, your guards decided they wanted a little fun.."

Her voice was mocking, making Ares' blood boil.

"Acantha, guards get out of here before I blow you all up!"

Everyone moved at once, bumping into each other and pushing each other nervously against the walls, terrified about the perspective of being blown to Tartarus by the angry God.

"So, what's the catch big, bad God of War? First you kick me out and now I'm not allowed in your temples anymore? ."

"Xena, don't start this….."

"Me?" she replied innocently. "Oh sorry, so it was me that decided that I didn't want you any more and it was me who kicked you out and stopped loving you?"

By the time she finished her sentence, the sharp end of her sword was resting quite comfortably at his neck.

He indifferently glanced at it for a couple of seconds, before, with incredibly hard, unexpected force, managed to knock it half way across the room onto the floor.

"You know damn well that's not true!" he barked, backing her up against the wall. "I didn't want to hurt you ok, can't you see what you do to me?"

"Oh, you didn't want to hurt me? If I didn't know better I'd say you've gone soft, Ares."

She surely hadn't expected the slap…..

Brutally gripping her shoulders, he made sure to leave a few purple bruises on the surface of her soft flesh, and slamming her against the wall, he trapped her legs with his, his heavy torso keeping her well blocked there, just like he wanted her.

"Soft, Princess? You think I've gone soft? We'll let me show you what soft is..."

She wasn't expecting the kiss either. That violent battle of tongues and teeth grazing against each other. Then again, she wasn't expecting to be thrown on the floor…..

Soon after, his body covered hers, and, grabbing her wrists, he expertly pinned them above her head, using the other hand to grip her chin whilst fiercely capturing her lips again.

It was then that Gabrielle decided to walk in, sick of waiting outside for her friend.

At first, the usually talkative bard didn't know what to say. She just stood there, frozen in shock, before she dropped her staff, her dry lips opening to a harsh:  
**  
"Xena!"**


	11. Fire in Wars Den

**Hey guys, I thought I'd let you know that I will be starting a new story soon so look out for that, it's most likely going to be called ' Love From A God.' I have also just published my new one shot called 'Apology' **

**Thanks for being so patient with this story. Love you guys! :) xx**

* * *

"XENA!"

As if the Bard's half shocked- half angry voice yelling out her name in a horrified scream didn't actually reach a high enough note to split Xena's eardrums, the raven Warrior Princess carelessly chose to bring a leg out from under Ares and wrap it tightly around his waist. They simply deepened the kiss, ravenous for each other, both of them apparently possessed by a barely controlled lust that could be easily read in their every gesture…

By the time Gabrielle got close enough to bite, the War God's hand was tenderly cupping his lover's chin, and , as if aware of the irritating Blond's presence, he finally decided to shift it teasingly slow down her body before he languidly let it rest on his Princess' inner thigh.

They were obviously far from putting an end to their romantic moment the Bard was soon to notice, for Ares' lips soon found their way to Xena's neck – the next body part that he felt it deserved his full attention. The sexiest smile on the planet appeared on his visage the instant he felt her pulse quickening under the effect of his feather like, sensual kisses.

"I love you," he murmured lowly against her ear..

In response, Xena smiled discreetly, before claiming his mouth in another wild, passionate kiss. It took awhile before she actually opened the eyes to look up at him….When she did though, out of the corner of her eye she finally spotted a way to familiar figure.

"Gabrielle..." Xena breathed.

Ares frowned down at her, looking rather offended at the mention of the intrusive little girl's name right when they were about to burn.

Quickly deciphering the reason of his murderous gaze, the Warrior Princess explained patiently:

"No Ares, Gabrielle's here! Get off me!"

After a few seconds of comedic rolling around and flattening out clothes, the Warrior looked guiltily at her friend.

"Uh hey, Gabrielle..."

"...'Oh Gabrielle he doesn't love me anymore'..." the Bard barked in the most ridiculous un-Xena-like voice ever- before effectively shooting the cocky God standing behind her 'the look'.

"Well Xena, I'd say you were a bit off with your calculations there because as far as I'm concerned this doesn't class as 'hate' in any dictionary given definition !…- well unless its different up there on Olympus..."

"Oh my, look at the time Xe, I guess I'd better head off and take care of some… you know…godly business," Ares mumbled, grinning boyishly whilst placing a chaste kiss on Xena's still blazing cheek.

"Don't you dare leave me here you Bastard..." she growled just as he disappeared into the aether.

"Haven't you heard of that very special notion called privacy, Gabrielle?!" the Warrior Princess inquired on the most revolted tone she could come up with, her defences up against Gabrielle once again.

"Well its not MY fault you guys were taking ages!" her friend accused, bending down to pick up her staff.

"You're just jealous!" Xena suddenly snapped - in a reaction very uncommon to her 'always in control of everything' style…

The Bard's eyes widened considerably, mirroring everything on their greenish surface from shock to hurt and betrayal.

"How DARE you say that to me Xena? I've had plenty of men in my life and still do. They're good men too; normal, reliable people, not some power crazed, bloody War God!"

"Oh really? Yeah, I'm sure Joxer is just great in bed," the Warrior hissed.

The bard's face went beet-red.

"Joxer?!" she chocked out. "Are you serious Xena?!"

"Yeah, I know all about your night time flings with him."

"Oh really? So does that mean your only with Ares 'cause your jealous of me and Joxer?" the fiery bard bit back.

All she got in return was such a evil glare Gabrielle's heart nearly stopped beating. Technically though, Celesta should have come to pay her a friendly visit minutes ago...

"At least I know Ares will be alive in the morning."

The statement hit its mark, like a missile finding a flying aircraft and exploding it into a million tiny pieces.

"Oh? Remembering something are you Gabrielle? Maybe someone by the name of Perdicus...?" Xena said, her eyes alight with a chilling intensity of death.

"Don't you even mention his name!" the heartbroken Bard shrieked out.

Before Xena could even come up with a smart answer, the Blonde had already ran out of the temple

Sighing deeply, the Warrior sunk down into a black, plush couch in the corner, for once loosing herself in her thoughts to such extent that, as easy as it could have been to miss over the thunderous storm looming overtop of the temple, she nearly did miss the cracking sound outside, along with the terrified scream echoing through the dark halls.

She instantly jumped up and ran outside, pulling her Chakram from her hip. It was pitch black now and she couldn't see a thing.

Lightening struck the tree beside her, setting it on fire and lighting up the courtyard.

"GABRIELLE!" Xena's resonant voice exploded , her eyes frantically darting from place to place looking for any sign of her friend.

At that moment, it didn't matter how mad she was at her; she needed to get the Bard back.

Thunder rumbled and the fire spread across to surrounding trees.

Xena ran over to Argo and untied her, setting her free to run away from the quickly escalating disaster.

It was than that she somehow noticed a couple of thin, red streaks being washed away over the pavement from the rain. Running over, Xena felt around until her hand dug into something sharp, pulling it up to the fiery light, she saw it was a piece of bone.

Her mind whirled back to replay the cracking sounds from just minutes before.

They have broken her legs…..

Filled with a new found hatred, Xena screamed up to the sky:

"APOLLO!"

* * *

Damp and shivering, the lone figure sat on the floor of the cell. Her teeth clacked together, forming an irregular beat similar to the drilling thumping of her heart. Rates scurried along the floor, every now and again running over her feet, making the young prisoner let out a hoarse scream.

Xena would come for her right? She would have heard the scream. It was too bad she could hardly move but broken legs can do that to a person…

Pushing her blonde hair out of her eyes, Gabrielle lent back onto the wall, doing her best to steady her breathing.

_She'll come for me..._


	12. Sitchuations

**Thanks to all my loyal reviewers :) I love you all!**

* * *

Three unexpected beams of red light shattered the darkness, sparkles running down to settle at the feet of three unusual women.

"Hello Areeess..." they hissed, sauntering over to the bed, crawling like lionesses, eager to touch him.

Pretty soon, their anxious hands were gradually gliding right about everywhere, sensually caressing his perfectly sculpted chest and down to his lower perfectly sculpted parts

"Hello ladies... what can I do for you tonight?" the God inquired curiously, raising an eyebrow suggestively despite himself, effectively telling the three Furies all about the nasty effect their obnoxious attitude was having on him.

"We heard your conversation with Xeeena, very well played..." Alecto started to groom him, moving up to bite his ear.

The needy Olympian let out muffled sound, and according to his laboured breathing, he was definitely enjoying what she was doing.

The Fury's hands went down to unbuckle his pants but he stopped her by roughly flipping them over, to his partner's delight.

"Oh Ares, I'm glad your back..." she whispered gripping his hair and pulling his face down to hers for a wild kiss that was supposed to last as long as he was willing to allow it. As their tongues entwined, frantically exploring each other's mouth, the God sneakily moved one hand underneath the pillow while his other was squeezing her breast through the thin, flimsy garment.

She moaned with pleasure, squirming underneath him like a savage beast that needed to be tamed.

Just when she was beginning to enjoy herself though, Ares suddenly broke the kiss and pulled his hand out from under the pillow. His fingers were clenched around a golden hilt..

The other two Furies screamed in horror and disappeared just as fast as they had appeared, without bothering to at least try to save Alecto.

"You truly believed you had me under control..." he growled. "Well….it seems to me you were wrong . Maybe with you dead, Apollo will finally get the message and leave Xena alone."

He brought the Dagger of Helios down straight through her heart, right up to the hilt. He didn't pull it out until he could see her soul dematerializing and her body fading to dust.

* * *

Apollo watched the events unfolding through one of those magic mirrors the Gods were so fond of using….Still he didn't even flinch, when Ares stabbed his pawn. He couldn't do anything about it….Going there would have let his brother know that he had seen the Dagger, and that was a risk that he simply refused to take.

* * *

"SMACK!"

One supernaturally powerful blow and the Warrior was out cold.

"Tsk, tsk tsk Xena. You should have seen that coming..."

One mechanical laugh later, the Sun God disappeared with her into his domain.

* * *

"Hera..." a lone, masculine voice whispered into the moonlit air.

"Zeus?" she replied, looking desperately around for the King of the Gods.

"I am not here…. but I am not dead either. I am hiding..."

"From what?"

"A great evil that will come to pass if the Warrior Princess and the God of War do not come into union."

Surprisingly, Hera started laughing, "You want Xena and Ares to get married?!"

"That is precisely what I want, dear wife... But before this is done, three more will fall and there is nothing you can do to stop it..."

Zeus disappeared again, blending in with the shadows, leaving a baffled Hera to just sit there and reconsider her options, so deep in thought that when a sharp arrow hit her straight in the back, she hardly realized it…well, until her body started to fade and turn into dust….

"One down, two to go..."

* * *

Gabrielle sat silently in her cell, gazing absently at the ceiling. She had stopped talking and making noise for over a day now. She was famished and thirsty- over a week had past since she had been brought in that dirty, dark and disgusting place.

A guard walked up to the door and the Bard instantly dragged herself in that direction, her hands gripping ferociously the bars.

"You have a visitor," he said gruffly, then opened the door.

He shoved an unconscious raven-haired figure into the cell, locked the door behind him and quickly stalked off.

"Xena..." Gabrielle breathed, gently brushing her visage with the tip of her fingers. "Oh Xena, what are we going to do?"

After about a half an hour, Xena's baby blues opened widely.

"Gabrielle?"

"Yes, it me, they've been keeping me here for like forever…."

The Warrior Princess looked down in shame and tried to sit up.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "The last thing I wanted was to drag you along into this mess..."

The Bard smiled for the first time in days.

"That's okay, best friends stick together, so I wouldn't have it any other way."

Xena smiled back and pulled her into a tight, affectionate hug.

"How are your legs?" she asked worriedly.

"How did you know?" the Blonde questioned, overly surprised that her friend was aware of her condition.

Xena shifted uncomfortably for a moment before replying: "I heard it..."

"They still hurt... a lot."

"I know it is going to hurt even more, but I have to put them back into place, you know..."

She twisted her right leg around at the knee. Gabrielle's mouth opened up to scream but no sound came out. She groaned and moaned as the pain tore through her like a knife to the flesh.

"There, now if you don't move them at all, it should be okay, but for now try get some rest and I'll try get us some food okay?"

"Yes Xena..." she moaned again before lying her sore head on the hay in the corner, drifting off into a world full of Morpheus' evil dreams….The pain was too much for her to handle…

* * *

"Xena?... XENA?" Ares cried out the second he materialised back into his temple where he had left the girls, but his Love was nowhere to be found.

He scanned the place, trying desperately to locate her presence throughout Greece in his mind.

He couldn't find her anywhere.

He ran out into the courtyard and that's where he saw it, glistening like diamonds under Artemis' enchanting moonlight : the perfect circle of her Chakram.

He mechanically bent down to pick it up, examining it carefully. He knew she would never leave her favourite weapon behind, which in all words meant that she had been forced to do it by who knows what uncommon circumstances.

He materialised back into the Halls of War, the whole time keeping the Chakram in his vice-like grip.

He sat down rigidly in his throne, staring into his mirror, willing it to find her.

"Come on Princess, where are you?"


	13. Fight to be On Top

Apollo stood, staring out over the grey land. It was covered with bodies and blood, forever tinting the earth with its deep colours.

None of the enemy had survived the slaughter, only Apollo's warriors picking through the bodies, looking for their 'reward'.

Banners stood tall on the horizon, each one wearing the mark of the Sun. The God held in his hands a sword, an all too familiar one with a gold and black hilt- sharp blade- small gems moulded in.

It was Xena's.

He had conquered the Warrior Princess and her pet God, Ares.

He was now the one to rule, the one to control it all. He was the Conqueror, the King.

* * *

Apollo shut off the image in the mirror, he was ecstatic with what he saw. If everything went according to plan, it was an undeniable certainty that he would become the new King of the Gods.

"Bring her in!" he commanded.

A split second later, a struggling figure was dragged into the room, her wild hair covering her face like a funeral veil as she was brought to her knees in front of him.

"Ahhh, Xena... You know, I'm glad I didn't kill you in that pathetic little village..." he paused, maliciously looking her but, noticing that she wasn't paying attention to his little speech, he grabbed her by the hair, yanking her head back, forcing her to look at him.

"If I had of," he went on. "I wouldn't be able to use you to kill my beloved Brother. Yesss, that's right Xena, he's next on my wish list and so are you, but first, I'll grant you the opportunity to watch your Blonde friend die."

The Warrior glared at him with contempt, then spat in his face. The saliva landed on his cheek bone and slid down to his chin.

He brought his hand up and slapped her… her jaw cracking could be heard all the way to Athens.

"Do that again and I will skin you alive."

She laughed defiantly, holding her glare, a silent warning meant to tell him that way before his hand would have touched the dagger, she would have cut him open.

"I'm afraid that your hostile eyes don't affect me much, Warrior Princess. Despite their cold threat it would be impossible for them to stop me from killing Gabrielle." he bragged, winking at her mockingly."Guard! Bring her in!"

Sooner that Xena would have wanted it to, the Bard was being dragged in by two caveman like soldiers.

"Nice of you to join us Gabrielle! Say your goodbye to Xena because its time to die..."

He drew out a dagger but Xena jumped up, kneeing the guard to her right and head-butting the other. She ran to Apollo, grabbing him by the neck and pushing him against the pillar behind him.

She didn't even realise he didn't have the dagger any more before it was too late.

"Xena..." a harsh, tearful whisper reached the Warrior's finely tuned ears.

"Gabrielle!"

The knife was still sticking out of her shoulder, blood pooling all around it, not dripping down but nearly there.

Xena carefully pulled out the black hilted knife, cupping the wound and pressing down hard to stop the flow of blood. She rested Gabrielle's head in her lap, brushing her dirty hair out of her face.

"It'll be okay Gabrielle, I'll get you better. We're gonna be fine okay?"

A faint smile played across the Bard's lips in spite of that consuming pain ripping through her shoulder.

"Tell them about me..." she whispered, tears running freely down her visage. "Sign off my last scroll and let the world know…."

"I will, I will I promise. Oh Gabrielle..."

That's when he came.

* * *

In fact, Ares did feel Xena's pain which meant he finally got to locate her. It was one of the godly advantages he loved to enjoy.

He had disappeared into the aether straight away, arriving outside Apollo's protected fortress where the maniac was holding his Princess, where he was immediately confronted by the remaining two, very angry and consumed by revenge Furies.

Seeing them, he smiled viciously. He had somehow known the Dagger would come in handy for more than one pain in the ass God.

They didn't put up much of a fight, two quick slices to their necks and they turned into dust.

'Hades must be having a ball,' he thought grimly, before destroying the force field blocking the castle entrance.

"Tsk, tsk Apollo, I thought you would have done better than that..."

He ran through the glowing halls, killing any useless guards that tried to stop him, with his superhuman powers.

In less than minutes, he reached the door of the room in which Xena was being held. Smashing open the doors, he thundered in, anxiously looking around for her, hoping to find her before it was too late.

And he did. She was a mess, tears streaming like water down her face, the dying Bard in her arms. Then he saw Apollo, drawing his sword ready to kill her.

"Hello Apollo..." he snarled, walking closer, drawing his own massive sword, getting ready to protect Xena at any cost.

"Ahhh Ares... I was wondering when you would show up!" he charismatically smiled at the God before attacking, just to spite him.

The fight went on for what seemed like a millennium.

Finally, the agile, unbeatable War God had Apollo on the ground, desperately reaching for his sword but Ares kicked it away then kicked him hard in the chest. He pulled out the dagger.

"Say goodbye Apollo, your time amongst the living is over".

Just as he was about to end the Bastard's life though, Apollo vanished into thin air, leaving behind his echoing laugh bouncing around the walls.

* * *

" Fail me once again Apollo and I will kill you!" a thunderous voice boomed, shaking the stone structure of the temple so hard that a few parts of the roof came crumbling down.

Apollo smiled casually despite his fear , raised his arm then stabbed the unknown one right in the heart, sending another to Hades realm.

"One left...I'm coming for you, 'Daddy'."


End file.
